Piston-head



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 H. D. GARRETT,

Piston Head.

No. 242,626. v Patented June 7, i881.

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N. PETERS. Phclmlllhngraphen Washinglcn. o. c.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

H. D. GARRETT.

Piston Head. N0. 242,626. Patented June 7,1881.-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HUGH D. GARRETT, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

PISTON-HEAD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 242,626, dated June '7, 1881.

Application filed April 4, 1881. (No model.)

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUGH D. GARRETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Piston-Heads; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to piston-heads for steam and other machinery, with means for centering the same and for setting out the packing in the cylinder.

With these objects in view my improvements consist in the following construction and arrangement of the piston-head, whereby a solid piston-head may be simply and perfectly centered and the packing, when desired, set outin the cylinder, all of which will be fully set forth, and then pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a piston embodying my im n'ovements. Fig. 2 represents a central section, taken through lines 00 m or y y of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a central section through lines 2 z of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 represents a detail sectional view through line 10 w of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail view of one of the centering-bolts. Fig. 6 is a similar view of one of the tension-bolts for the bearing-springs. Fig. 7 is a detail view of one of the bearing-springs, and Fig.8 a similar view of one of the segment-bearings. Fig. 9 represents a side elevation of a piston-head, showing a modified form of my device. Fig. 10 represents a central section, taken through lines 8 s or t t of Fig. 9. Fig. 11 represents a similar view taken through line a u of Fig. 9, and Fig. 12 a detail section through a o of Fig. 9. Fig. 13 is a detail view of one of the eccentric bolts. Fig. 14 is a detail view of one of the bearing-segments. Fig. 15 is a detail view of one of the bearings. Figs. 16 and 17 are detail sectional views of modified forms for carrying out my invention.

In the accompanying drawings the same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the different figures.

A represents a piston-head constructed and east in one piece. It is suitably cored out at the places where I desire to introduce my improved method of centering and setting out the packing in the cylinder. For these purposes I groove the outer periphery of the piston-head for the reception of the metal packing, and which I prefer to construct of two metal rings, a. I), in the usual way. This groove 0 is of a depth considerably greater than the depth of the packing-rings, in order to provide for their proper adjustment. Adjacent to the inner periphery of the packing ring or rings I arrange a series. of bearing-springs and segments, preferably four in number, two of which are rigid and two flexible bearings; but I do not confine myself to that number, or to the precise arrangement shown in the drawings, as it is evident they may be varied, or all the hen-rings may be rigid or all flexible and secure operative results. All of these hearings I make adjustable in a line with a radius drawn from the center of the piston. In order to effect this adjustability a suitable cavity, (1, is cored out in the piston-head at the desired points for the reception of the bearing-segment e or springf, as the case may be. Adjacentto each of these cavities d, and separated there from by 'a partition, g, is an opening, h, extending from one side of the piston to a distance beyond a center line of the piston, butnot entirely through. (See Figs. 1 and 2.) The cavities dare of sufficient length and depth to admit of the inward and outward adjustment of the bearing portions cc and ff. The inner ends ofsegmentbearin gs e c are furnished with a socket for the reception of the rounded hear ing 1" of bolt i, which bolt is screw-threaded, and lodged in internally-threaded bolt-hole pierced through the partition g. It is by this bolt '5 that the segment-bearing e is adjusted, and when once adjusted is secured by lock or jam nut t". The head 11' of the bolt is made to approach sufficiently near, when once in place, to the opposite wall of the opening h, so that in the event of lock-nut i getting loose there would not be sufficient space between the head of said bolt and the wall of the openin g h for the nut to drop into the cylinder, to the seriousinj ury of theparts. Bearing-sprin g f is adjusted in substantially the same manner, the outer end of bolt k being modified slightly in its bearing against springf. Spring fbears against a secondary spring, j, which abuts against thepacking-rings a b. The walls l of the openings or cavities d and h are conmeeting-ribs of metal extending through the thickness of the piston, as seen at Figs 2 and 11, and in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 9.

In Figs. 9, 10, 11,12,13, 14,.and15 is shown a modified form ofetfeotin g the purposes of my invention. In this instance the inner hearing of segments 6 is modified from that shown in the preceding figures by providing ajournal-bearing, formed in the segments transverse to the line of its adjustment. In this bearing 0 works an eccentric bolt, m, of the peculiar form shown in the drawings. This bolt is provided with bearingm, working in a suitable socket in the piston'head A; the central portion of the bolt, where it is embraced by the journal-box c of the segment 0, having the eccentric shown in Figs. 10 and 13, by means of which said segments are adjusted,

, and the head an having an external screwthread upon which the jam or lock nut 45 works. The bearings of head m of bolt m against the opening in the piston-head are both preferably screw-threaded. Bolt m is provided with a collar, m, larger than the internal diameter of jam or look nut t', and serves the purpose of preventingthe dropping ot' the nut into the cylinder should it, by accident, work loose, the nut i being previously inserted from the smaller end of the bolt. In like manner the springsfhave bolts m adapted to set the bearings n in and out, the inner end of bearin gs n being provided with journalbearing a, the same as segments 0. The outer end of bearings it, however, is of difi'erentform in order to form a seatfor springs f. jj, in this modified form of piston -head, are secondary hearings or springs, similar to those shown in Fig. 1. In Figs. 4 and 12 are shown, as a continuation of the metal ribs 1, before described, a metal bearin g, 0, formed thereon, and extending outwardly, so as to form a bearing'point against the packing-rings a b, and of the width shown.

When it is necessary to set the adjustable bearing-points shown in Figs. 9 and 10 outwardly or inwardly a key is inserted into the square recesses in the head of bolts m, provided for that purpose, and a turn given said bolts sutficient, through the action of the eccentric thereon, to set the adjustable bearin gs in the position desired, when said bolts are locked in that position by their jam-nuts. In like manner, when it is desired to adjust the bearingpoints shown in connection with the piston-head in Figs. 1 and 2, the bolts t are adjusted by means of a wrench inserted through openings h and locked by means of jam-nuts t' Figs. 16 and 17 represent modified constructions for effecting the object of my invention, the first through the action of a conc'shaped bolt and inclined bearing-surface of the adjustable segments, and the second by means of a wedge regulated by a screw-bolt.

It will be understood that in practice I arrange with the periphery of the piston-head four bearing-points, the two inflexible or rigid adjustable segments being arranged in the lower periphery, (where a horizontal or inclined cylinder is employed,) and the two flexible bearin g-sprin gs in the upper periphery of said piston-head, the two former serving, primarily, to center the head within the cylinder, and the two latter, when once the head is centered, serving to set out the packingin the cylinder, so as to insure a perfect and steam-tight joint, and yet avoid the tendency of the piston to stick within the cylinder; but it is ob vious, as before stated, that they can be arranged differently and get good results, and the bearing-points may be all rigid or all flexible,butI prefer the construction and arrangement pointed out above.

I am aware that a series of rigid adjustable bearings for the packing of pistons have been employed, and also that a series of flexible bearings have been used, combined with one rigid bearing, and such devices Ido not claim; but by my arrangement the piston'packing can be better adjusted to the cylinder.

What I claim is- 1. The solid piston-head having a series of rigid and a series of flexible bearing-points for the packing thereof, with independent adjustable mechanism, and arranged for operation in the manner and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination, with asolid piston-head and its packing, of segment-bearingc or springbearingf, or both, bolt t, and opening h, each bearing being independently adjustable from the outside of the head, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination,with asolid piston-head and its packing, of segment-bearings e or spring-bearingsf, or both, bolt 1', nut t'", and opening h, the bearings being arranged for operation from the outside of the head, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with a solid piston-head and its packing, of segmentbearings e or spring-bearin gs f, or both, bolt i, having the ex tension-head i, nut 41, and opening h, the bearings being arranged for operation from the outside of the head, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HUGH D. GARRETT.

Witnesses R. S. REED, ANDREW J. CAMPBELL. 

